Extraction of grease from wool.



No. 829,764. PATENTED AUG. z8', 1906.

EXTRACTION OPGREASE PROM WOOL. APPLIoATIoN FILM; 1330.8. 190s..

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 829,764. PATENTBD AUG. 28, 1906, A. H. BURT., H. JACKSON @g o. A. PINCE.

EXTRAGTION 0F GREASE FRoM WooL.

APPLICATION PILBDDEU. 8. 1905.

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PAT'BNTBD AUGjzs, 1906. A. UNCH. y

M WooL.

A. H. BURT, H. JACKSON & C. I BXTRACTION OP GREASE PRO APPLICATION FILED 13110.8.19

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FIG. 7.

UNITED STATES PATENT onrren. i

ARTHUR HAZELDINEV BURT, OF MOSMAN, NEAR SYDNEY, AND HENSHAW JACKSON AND CHARLES ALLT FINCH, OF SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES,

AUSTRALIA.

ExTRAcTloNoF GREASE FROM woon..

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Aug. 2s, 1906.

lT0 a/ZZ'wh/omlit may concern:

Be it known that we, ARTHUR HAZELDINE BURT, residing at Mosman, near S dney HENSHAW- JACKSON, residing in O onnell street, Sydney, and CHARLES ALLT FINCH, residing in Elizabeth street, Sydney, in the State of New South Wales, Commonwealth of Australia, subjects of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Extraction of Grease from Wool, of which the following is a specification.

Oui` invention consists in the obtaining of.

wool.- ease from sheeps wool by means of volat' e solvents, such as benzene, without opening the bales or packs in which such wool is made up for transportation.

The extraction of wool-fat from baled wool without opening the packs is of much importance commercially, because by operating on it while contained in the unbroken packs the extraction may be effected at any convenient place during transit. It 'would be manifestly impossible to ciiectthc extraction at the place of production ofthc wool, because the expense of operating .a number of independent plants suitable for the purpose would involve prohibitive cost.

The packs operate as filters which retain the greater portion of solid and non-soluble matter and are themselves freed of grease and 'rendered fit for reuse with scoured wool. The problem of obtaining wool-fat in large quantities ata marketable price depends for its solution not upon the technical eiciency, but rather upon the economical operation o f the process used. The breaking of the bales A no less than the treatment of relatively small quantities of wool 'at individual places of production would entail a cost which would make the value of the product too high to enable it to be sold in competition with other fats for which it may be substituted for manufacturing purposes. l

According to our method the extraction is effected on a large and economical scale-at shipping centers or rail junctions where large quantities of wool are handled Without involving any change or serious delay in forwarding arrangements. Coincidentally a reduction is made in the gross weight of the bale, and a consequent saving in freighttherecn is effected.

In carrying out our invention we use a connected series of apparatus in which the sol-` vent is protected against atmosphericfvaporization during the several steps of the process and is recovered for reuse and is reused continuously.

In this apparatus the wool is placed in a or lifting false bottom operated by a ram which is worked by hydraulic or other power. A body of solvent liquid is introduced into this press-chamber as soon as the same has been closed. To insure complete penetration of the solvent into the heart of the bale, inspirating-needles (with button-heads to facilitate insertion and withdrawal) are driven downward into the bales. Complete saturation of the wool in the bale is effected by submitting the same to a number of sucessive compressions by reciprocating the piston, whereby the solvent is alternately squeezed out of and allowed to resoak the Wool.- Thefat-charged solvent afterwithdrawal from' the press-chamber is run' through a filter in which wool may be used for a iilter-bed, and vthe filtered liquid is thence conveyed to a still, wherein the volatile liquid is driven ed to a condenser fitted with an air-pump, and is thence returned to the solvent-tank for reuse. After iinal pressing in the press-chamber to Squeeze out the free liquor the wool is lifted into a closed drying-box, through which a draft of air is pumped or drawn by vacuum. This air takes up the absorbed solvent and carries it through Vthe condenser in which it is expasses to the solventclose press-chamber provided with a piston cessively, 0r so that a second (rinse) charge of fresh solvent may be a plied lso as to more completely dissolve out t e fat. Y

The press-chamber may be provided with In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a dia- I grammatic figure explanatory of the general arrangement of the several parts of the apparatus, Fig. 2, a vertical section through the press-chamber; Fi 3, a top plan; Fi 4, a horizontal sectiont ou hupper part ofsa'me on line o: x; Fig. 5, a simi ar horizontal section through lower part of same on line t t; Fig. 6, a sectional horizontal plan on line u u. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the press-chamber; Fig. 8, a detailed fragmental view showing section of piston Fig. l9, a plan of the piston, and Fig. 1 0 an elevation showing the inspirator-needle.

Referring to Fig. 1 in the annexed sheet of explanatory drawings, A is the press-chamber; B, the ram-cylinder; C, the filter-box, and D a series of two or more drying-chambers. E is the air-heater 5 F, the still; G, the condenser; K, air-pump; L, solvent-tank; M, auxiliary solvent tank; N, the solventpump; O, vacuum-cylinder, and P greasetank. ,If it be foundvconvenient to place the condenser G and the solvent-tank L above the level of the press-chamber A, the solvent may be allowed to flow by gravity, in which case 'the solvent-pump may be dispensed with; but itis generally preferred to adopt the arrangement in which the solvent is moved positively by the pump N. The solvent is supplied from the pump N to the press-chamber A through the pipe u. The solvent-pump N draws its supply of solvent' from the tank L through the pipe l. 'The solvent pump N has also a connection through the pipe m with the auxiliary solvent-tank M, into which grease-laden solvent from the press-chamber A passes by the pipe o. z z represent valves in the pipes. The bottom end of the press-chamber A is connected by the pipe c to the iilter C, which may be made to act either upwardly or downwardly.

fis a pipe for delivering filtered greaseladen solvent from thefilter C to the still f, which latter is heated by a coil supplied with superheated steam.

gis a by-pass connection Vbetween the filter C and the pipe l, and j a pipe connection be-. tween the auxiliary tank M and the still F. The vaporized solvent passes by the pipe p to the condenser G. There are also pipe connections d from the several drying-boxes D to the pipe connection between the still F and the condenser These dryingboxes have each a valve in the head through which atmospheric air may be admitted to them, and they are also provided with pipeservices e to convey heated air from the airy heater E, which is warmed by a steam-coil.

The mixed air and the condensed vapor which pass from the condenserG enter the vacuum-reservoir O and thence pass to the air-pump K, which delivers the same to the aireater E through the pipe 7c vor to waste through the .outlet N. The solvent conypiston 3 throughout its stroke.

densed in thefcondenser G passes 'by the pipe 1' (which Ais fitted withv a non-return valve) to the solvent-tank L, whence it is conveyed, as before stated, by the pipe Z to the force-pump'N, and thence for reuse to the press-chamber A. The yone charge of solvent may be used repeatedly, if desired, by leavin it inthe press-chamber until it becomes llly charged with grease by re peated treatmentof successive bales of Wool.

It will be observed that by operating the valves Z the same charge of solvent can be circulated throu h the press-chamber A and the lter C as ofgten as may be found necessary and finally run into the still F through the pipe f, or, at the option of the o erator, the first charge yof solvent laden wit grease may be run into the still F from the/filter C through the pipe f and a rinse charge of fresh solvent then circulatedby means of the pump N through the wool in the presschamber A, and thence to the auxiliary solvent-tank M through the pipe 0, whence it may be drawn through the pipe m to the `pump N and used on another bale of wool in the press-chamber A.`

The form of the press-chamber which we use in practice is shown in Figs. 2 to 9. It consists of two chambers superposed, of

which the upper one 1 is of less area than the 95 lower one 2, but in alinement therewith atthe corners, so that the corner parts will form a continuous guide for the plunger or This piston is covered on the face with grating-bars 4 and is fitted with two or more spring-sustained drop-valves 5, whose heads rise above the face of the grating-pieces 4, the object being that these valves shall be forced open by contact against the lower side of the bale of wool whic is dropped into the chamber.' The piston 3 is carried on a ram or rod 6, in 'the upper side of whose stuiling-box 7 a water-well 8 is formed to check escape of the volatile solvent throughl the packing. The

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piston is guided at its four corners by direct to and from all parts of the upper surface of the bale when it is under compression by thel piston. The solvent-supply pipe a conveys the solvent to the cavity between the false plateV 12 and the head 11. The head is secured, preferably, by pivot-bolts 13, Whose wing-nuts take against lugs 14 on the head. 15 isa ring-pump leather inserted in an anreuse.

nular cavity below the joint 16 to make said joint liquor and vapor tight.

Intermediate of the upper and lower chambers 1 and 2 is a divisional grating 17, which may be formed of slotted or drilled plate, adapted to run in a carrier-guide 18. This plate 17 is manipulated by a spindle. 19, which is carried through a stuffing-box 20 and is operated by a hand-screw 21 or by other suitable means.

The inspirating-needles shown in Fig. 10 are. tubular stems formed with sharp points. They are perforated at many points with line holes to permit flow of solvent through them into the wool and conversely exit of greasy solution. Button-heads through which the bore is continued vare tted to these needles to facilitate their insertion and Withdrawal.

In operation the rack-plate 17- being retired the bale of wool is dropped into the press-chamber and the head 11 closed down. Solvent is then run through the pipe a, completely immersing the bale and soaking the same by* direct absorption through its exterior surface and also through the inspiratingneedles, which are driven into it from the top end before it is inserted into the press-chamber. The piston 3 being drawn down to the lower end of the chamber and the grating 17 closed in over the top of the bale, which is now completely submerged in the solvent liquor, pressure is applied to the ram 6 two or three times or oftener, so as to cause the solvent to surge through the wool in the bale and dissolve the wool-fat contained therein. I

Finally, the grating 17 is retired` and the bale is put under pressure against the head 11 in order to squeeze out the free solvent. The solvent is run ofl" through the pipe c either to the filter C or to the auxiliary solvent-reservoir M. The head 11 is now removed and the bale raised up by exerting pressure on the ram 6 and lifted into one of the dryingboxes D, which is closed down on it, and the hot-air e and exhaust d services opened. The remaining solvent is thus evaporated out of the bale and recondensed in the'still G for The inspirating-needles are not Withdrawn until after the dried-out bale is taken from the drying-box, as they serve to convey air into and vapor out of the bale.

The provision of the intermediate grating 17 and accessory parts is not essential, as it 1s practicable to press the bale directly against the false head 12, provided that the l solvent has freedom to surge past the piston.

T he leather packing-ring of the piston is provided only to prevent vaporization of solvent when the piston is raised up near the top of the chamber and the headll opened while the bale is being inserted and lifted out.

The leather packing does not fill the clearance between the sides of the chamber 2, and the piston and the solvent is therefore free to surge past the piston during the operation of repeatedly compressing the Wool and reliev-, ing the pressure thereonto eect solution of the grease by regurgitating the solvent through the wool. When a press-chamber of .identical form throughout its length is used and the wool pressed directly against the head of the chamber, the leather packing must be made suciently flexible to permit the solvent to flow past it to and from the space below the piston, while when there is no pressure it must close up to the chamberwalls to prevent vaporization of the solvent contained in the chamber. yThe automatic valves 5 are kept open by the weight of the wool thereon, but when the wool is lifted out of the press they are closed by their supporting-springs, and thus seal the space below the piston and prevent loss of solvent by evaporation.

Novelty is not claimed for the distillation of the filtrate to separate the grease and rey cover the solvent nor for the recovery of the absorbed solvent by treatment with hot air.

It may also be said that no novelty, broadly, is claimed for the extraction of grease or oil from substances contained in bags or wraps by pressure of the package or bale.

What we claim as our invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,lis

The herein-described method of extracting the fat from wool by means of liquid, volatile solvents, which consists in immersing an unopened transportation pack or bale of wool in the solvent, then alternately and repeat-4 edly pressing said pack and allowing it to expand by its own resiliency, thereby causing the solvent to flow repeatedly through the wool in the pack, then removing the ack from'the solvent and placing it in a c osed chamber, and then forcing air through said 'IOO chamber in order to take up and remove the volatile solvent from the pack. In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' ARTHUR HAZELDINE BURT.

HENSI-IAW JACKSON. CHARLES ALLT FINCH. Witnesses: v

N. RILEY, W. J. DAvIs.

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